Wanted - Eglu Cube Mk1 Roosting Bars

[Lavenders_Blue]

My garden is surrounded on all three sides by neighbouring gardens. On two sides we have a proper, solid 6 foot fence but at the end of my garden the fence is approx 4 ft with 2 ft trellis on top. This fence is owned by the neighbour whose garden backs onto mine at the end and also goes across the end of two other neighbours' gardens.

 

I am desperate to grow something up against this fence for some privacy. My neighbour is lovely but is out in his garden ALL THE TIME wanting to chat. Sometimes I just want to enjoy the peace and quiet of my garden (and my hens) without being bothered.

 

We have netted off part of the garden for our hens and this fence is part of that area - so we need something that is not poisonous. I did think about laurel but have since read that both the leaves and berries are highly toxic, so I think I will be avoiding that. I don't think I can grow anything up against the trellis as it's the neighbour's fence and I don't want conifers either.

 

So drawing on the collective wisdom of the omlet community, what would you suggest as a good hedging/screening plant?

[Olly]

If you have a fence behind it, then I am assuming it doesn't need to be too dense - the fence will stop the hens from escaping, you just want to 'clothe' it, if I'm right?

 

Cotoneaster is good, has pretty berries on in winter and although I have this, I've never seen my chooks trying to eat the berries (no idea if they are poisonous or not!) A fuchsia hedge is another idea, it wouldn't be colourful all the year round but then nothing will really. You can get specific varieties of fuchsia which are suitable for hedging.

 

Bamboo would be very fast-growing and would create a good screen.

 

One of my friends has two beehives at the bottom of his garden, and wanted to keep them out of sight - he planted a pittosporum last year and it's grown about five feet tall in one year, and looks lovely. Or Choisya ternata (Mexican orange-blossom) will grow quite tall if you let it.

[Lavenders_Blue]

If you have a fence behind it, then I am assuming it doesn't need to be too dense - the fence will stop the hens from escaping, you just want to 'clothe' it, if I'm right?

 

 

Spot on, Olly. I would actually prefer something not too dense as my garden is not enormous so don't want to lose too much space.

 

I actually planted a Choisya in the garden earlier this year (seems to be growing quite quickly), I wonder if I could relocate it by the fence? And then plant some other screening plants around it.

 

Bamboo is a good idea - I hadn't considered that, and I haven't heard of the other plants so off to google them now!

 

Thanks Olly!